Tomorrow Is Another Day
by Margaretlucylu
Summary: Morelli finally gets what he's so long deserved. Arrested. Why? Read and Find Out. Based on the Facebook FanFiction Fanatics Challenge. Co-authored by the fabulous Cupcake hater, Spiffytgm. Babe Implied.
1. Chapter 1

_**Tomorrow's Another Day***_

Joe kept thinking the 'same thing' over and over again, right in the middle of the Trenton Police Station as he watched his gun, badge and notebook being bagged and tagged as evidence.

 _ **Tomorrow's Another Day**_

As he changed into the Prisoner Uniform Juniak threw his way, Joe thought back to what happened to cause his downfall. He had to keep his mind occupied as Big Dog had him bend over and submit to the anal cavity search.

 _ **'Really,' Joe thought to himself, 'I'm a Morelli. I don't do drugs unlike that stoner friend of Stephanie's.'**_

Hating to admit it to anyone, Joe Morelli only had himself to blame for this.

Was it just last night it all happened?

Angie and Bella Morelli had closed the door after hearing about he and Stephanie being engaged.

It was finally happening!

A Morelli-Plum wedding.

Never mind Joe caught from the corner of his eye, Steph looking gob-smacked or _**constipated.**_

Either way the words just came out of his mouth.

'About that engagement,' Joe said licking his lips at his cupcake, Stephanie Plum.

Or so he thought.

"Where we were before we were interrupted?" Joe said in his bedroom voice. Advancing on her, he ignored Steph fiddling with what he thought was her earring.

"Tell me something Morelli, why did you pay Lonnie Dodd take that shot at Ranger? Did you really want me to quit bounty hunting that bad? Or what about you and your vendetta on Ranger and the Ramos mess? You have been after me to quit and leave him and his men alone ever since we met. Ranger and his men have protected me, they've gotten hurt for me, then I find out it's been _ **YOU**_ that's been instigating all these 'situations' around Trenton. Even Gaspick stopping Ranger was due to a tip coming from your police issued cell phone and _**don't you dare lie to me, Joseph Anthony Morelli.**_ "

Slapping her hand down on the kitchen counter so hard it stung, Steph lifted up the other one and pointed directly in his face.

Joe kept advancing, his anger was overwhelming him, something he worked hard to control all his life. Having a drunkard and an abuser for a father, Joe tried to keep himself in check.

"Stay away from me Morelli, you're just like your dirty cop buddy Gaspick. You'll never get anywhere now. Evidence has been turned over to the police as we are standing here. Face the fact, you're a nobody going down," her face red in anger, Steph never knew how beautiful she looked at that very moment.

Stepping further in her space, the vein in Morelli's forehead started pulsing letting Steph know he was about to erupt.

A sneer came over his face, "How'd you figure out it was me?"

Scoffing at this arrogance, Steph just simply said, "Joe your face is an open book, each time I said his name, your face changed colors, you can't stand the man, never mind that once I expressed my admiration for Rangeman and Ranger himself, you worked yourself into such a frenzy."

"I hate Manoso, for years all I've heard what a God he was and could do no wrong, but then he set his eyes on you, and I had to do something to get him out of the way. Your Mom is right and we both know it, you belong to me. Married and having babies. So who cares that I had Kenny helping me with the guns going out of Trenton? I knew I had to make a fast buck. I only think you like him for his money. What do you call what we were doing before Momma and Grandma came over anyway? You were just as frisky as ever for me and the boys. What the hell was that about? And now I know we need to get out of here. You know too damn much."

 _ **"It's called gathering evidence to show you're a dirty cop is what it's called. I'd never sleep with you unless I was helping out Chief Juniak and Ranger. Everyone knows I'm here!"**_

Grabbing onto her upper arm Joe started for the kitchen door. Pulling her against her will, he ignored her screaming 'you're hurting me Joe, let go of me!"

All Joe could do was live in the moment and get the hell outta town.

Hopefully, he'd be successful.

"Shut up woman, the only thing you can do with that mouth isn't happening, just be quiet and let me think!" Joe said as his face turned purple.

Trying for the closest exit, Joe never expected to come in contact with a hard body as he tried to rush him and Steph thru the door and to freedom.

"Joseph Morelli, you are hearby under arrest."

 _ **xoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxo**_

 _ **A/N.**_

 _ *****_ This little story came from a prompt on Facebook FanFiction Fanatics:

Pick a book. Take the last line from any book you choose, and make a story from it. Long or short, doesn't matter.

 _ **My Line came from the Almighty Book of Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell.**_

All the characters come from the Evanovich books, none are mine.

Tsk. Tsk.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N. I hit the wall on this story. Then I turned to the greatest of all folks that gives our resident Cupcake hell, Ms. Spiffytgm. Off goes the complete and know its due to her creativity this story is continued to see another chapter or three. Thanks Sheila for all your help!**

 **Tomorrow is another day...**

I thought those words of wisdom as I snapped the gloves into place. I have to keep thinking "Just get through today" if I'm going to make it through this. I can't believe that on my last day as a Trenton Police officer I have to do Morelli's body cavity search. I can feel the bile rising in my throat.

I turned my attention back to the task at hand. " **Tomorrow is another day...** " I wonder idly if there's any bleach in the storage room. I'm going to need some way to burn this memory out of my brain.

I finished his search at the speed of light. Once we were finished, Morelli was allowed to put his clothes back on and I brought him back to holding. He was scheduled to go before the judge this afternoon so that he could plead "not guilty" and see what his bail would be set at. As we walked past the drunk tank, I could hear the catcalls from our other "guests" reaching a frenzy. This could get ugly, quick.

 **Tomorrow is another day...**

I rode my desk for the rest of the day and breathed a sigh of relief as I headed to my captains office to turn in my badge and service weapon. As I walked in, I was surprised to find not only my captain, but my future boss seated at the desk. "Captain, Ranger," I nodded in greeting.

My captain stopped me as I tried to hand him my badge. "Big Dog, we have something of a situation on our hands. There has already been an attempt on Morelli's life, and he hasn't even left holding yet." Damn, that was quick. I looked from my captain to Ranger as I tried to guess where this was heading. "I've already spoken to the judge on this matter, and we believe that it's in his best interests to move him to a secure location until we can find out who is behind the hit."

Holding my badge, I looked at my captain. "Sir, I fail to see where this concerns me."

he sighed. "I need to find out if the hit was arranged by the mob, one of Morelli's former busts, or possibly even a member of the TPD. Rangeman has been instrumental in gathering enough evidence to secure a conviction, but this needs to be handled by the department. Since you have the confidence of both myself and Rangeman, I would like you to delay your retirement and head the investigation."

I felt my stomach drop. They wanted me to find out who was trying to kill Morelli? I looked to Ranger. Before I could say anything, he spoke. "You will have all the resources of Rangeman at your disposal. We will supplement your TPD salary to bring it up to the level we agreed on when we signed your employment contract. The Captain understands that you will be sharing information with us and that we will assist you, but he is correct that it needs to be handled by the TPD to keep everything clean and aboveboard. You can consider this your last assignment with the TPD as well as your first with Rangeman. I'd like you to move to the safe house with Joe and get to the bottom of this. This way you will have access to Morelli whenever you need it."

I blew out a frustrated breath and ran my hand through my hair. I have already been up Morelli's ass literally, now I was going to have to go back in figuratively? I feel like I'm going to hurl. With a heavy heart, I clipped my badge back to my shirt and sighed, "Son of a bitch."


	3. Chapter 3

SPOV

Tomorrow is another day...

I chuckled to myself as I repeated the words I keep hearing Big Dog mutter every time I talk to him. I know that he's frustrated with the whole situation, and anxious to get on with his new career. That's why I decided to drive the latest batch of searches to the safe house along with a peace offering from Pino's.

The house where Joe and Big Dog were staying looked like every other house in the neighborhood. I always thought that a safe house would have a big gate with guard dogs and ninja hiding spots or something cool like that, but I guess I was wrong. I rang the bell and waited.

Big Dog opened the door and ran a hand through his hair. "Hey, Steph. Please tell me that you have good news. Promise me you're here to tell me that whoever is behind this turned himself in so that I can get the hell out of here."

I giggled and held up the bag for him to see. "Sorry, but I brought meatball subs to make up for it." He stepped aside so that I could come in. I looked around the small living room and frowned. The place looked like it had been used for a Frat party the night before. "What happened?"

Big Dog shook his head an looked at the ceiling. "Joe happened. He's a frigging slob, and I'm done picking up after him."

Joe sauntered out of the back bedroom and angled towards the bag of subs. He shot Big Dog a glare. "It's not like you're doing anything else. I'm probably going to die of old age before you figure this out. I have needs, you know. Keeping me locked up here is cruel and unusual punishment."

Big dog snatched the bag up before Joe could take it. "We've been over this already. I'm not letting Mob Princess Barbie come over here. We can't even say for sure she's not the one behind the hit." This sounded like something they've been arguing about for a while.

Joe turned his attention to me. "Miss me yet, cupcake? You come over to say hi to the boys? They miss you, you know."

I rolled my eyes and tried not to gag. "Really, Joe? Is that the best you can do? You used to at least put a little effort into being charming." He hooked a finger into the top of my shirt, but I slapped his hand away before he could take a peek. I chose to ignore it rather than make a scene. "I came over to give Big Dog some files, and let you know that all the fire damage has been cleaned up at your house."

The plan had been beautifully simplistic. When Joe went before the Judge, he was granted bail on the condition that he stay under house arrest. We brought him to the safe house, and Hector drove Joe's SUV to his house. Before he had a chance to set up the security cameras, someone tossed a molotov cocktail. Fortunately, Whoever threw it missed the window, but the bottle rolled under Joe's SUV. When that exploded, there was some damage to the house as well.

Big Dog walked me to my car, bouncing a couple of ideas around to see if there was some avenue we haven't explored yet. He was reluctant to let me go. He held my door open and said, "If we don't figure this out soon, you won't need to worry about who's trying to hit him. Last night I caught him trying to pry his bedroom window open so that he could go out for a drink. I'm pretty sure that if I spend another week with him, I'll be able to use an insanity defense."

I patted his arm. "The preliminary hearing is tomorrow. At least he'll be out of your hair for a few hours. Ranger is going to come over and pick him up personally. I know it's hard, but I'm sure you'll figure this out. After all, Tomorrow is another day."

o0()0o

I drove from the safe house back to Rangeman. I was going to go up to 5, but I decided that I needed a way to vent. Before I realized what I was doing, I found myself in the gym. I shot the treadmill a look of pure loathing, and walked around looking at the other equipment. I don't even really know how most of this stuff works. Finally I walked up to the punching bag and took a swing. It felt surprisingly good to hit something, so I did it again.

A year later, or at least 5 minutes, I was pulling back to throw yet another punch when I felt my arm being restrained. I turned around angrily only to stop when I saw that it was Ranger. A ghost of a smile crossed his lips as he kissed my knuckles, which were already red and swollen. He raised an eyebrow and said simply, "Babe."

I blew out a breath. "This sucks, you know? I don't want him dead, I just want him out of my life. Between the calls from his mother asking if I know where he is and my mother asking when we're getting back together, I'm going to have a meltdown if I don't do something."

Ranger tucked one of my now sweaty curls behind my ear. "Babe, this will be over soon. Life will go back to normal once it's done."

I leaned my head against his well muscled chest and wrapped an arm around his waist. Listening to his heart beat against my ear calmed me like nothing else. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on top of my head. Maybe I don't want life to go back to normal. Maybe I want something more. Before I could say anything, Ranger stepped back and tilted my chin up. Looking into my eyes, he said, "Why don't we have dinner tomorrow night after Joe's hearing?" Once I agreed, he kissed me and walked away.

Maybe I'll tell him tomorrow, after all, Tomorrow is another day...

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

A/N. Thanks Janet for letting us play with your characters.

This chapter is from the imagination of our own Sheila, aka Spiffytgm, isn't she lovely?


	4. Chapter 4

" **Tomorrow is another day,** " Big Dog mutters as he slides into the SUV behind Morelli. I can't blame him for the bitter expression on his face. He's been working this case non-stop ever since he was sequestered with the ex-cop. He's already managed to eliminate the Mafia, former girlfriends, gang bangers, and a sizable chunk of past arrests from the suspect list. There's still more to go through, and the frustration is etched in his face.

Joe doesn't look happy, either, but that doesn't bother me in the least. I scan the street for potential threats as we slowly make our way to the courthouse. Morelli breaks the silence. "Not that I'm unappreciative or anything, but is there any chance this case is going to be solved in the next century?"

I glance in his direction. "Are you that anxious to go to jail?" He closes his mouth with a scowl. I can feel a smile tug at the corner of my mouth. I know that we have enough evidence to put him away, and none of his cop buddies are going to help him. I glance in the rearview mirror at Big Dog. His smile is more obvious as he also scans the street for threats. I decide to let Big Dog know what's going on. "There's a protest going on at the courthouse, and they've surrounded the building. Tank has informed me that it's mostly busybodies from the Burg, so we don't anticipate much of a problem. Be aware of your surroundings. We're going to rush him through the loading dock, where the crowd is the thinnest." Big Dog looks at the back of Morelli's head and does a babe worthy eye roll.

We drive past the front of the courthouse, and can tell that there is two different sets of protesters. One side is holding signs that say, "Let Joe Go", "No Justice, No Peace", and "Italian Stallions Run Free". On the other side, the signs are a bit darker. "Rot in Jail", "Make Him Someone's Bitch", and "Do They Serve Cupcakes in Prison?" signs dot this crowd. Standing on a crate in the middle with a bullhorn is Edna Mazur. It figures. Wherever trouble lurks, Grandma's not far behind. I laugh to myself as she shouts into the bullhorn, "What do we want?" Her anti-Joe crowd shouts, "Prison!" She shouts, "When do we want it?" Her crowd answers, "Now!" As we turn the corner heading to the back of the building, I notice that her sign says, "My sign is bigger than your sign". As Edna herself would say, she's a hoot.

The back of the building isn't as crowded as the front, and it's all pro-Morelli protesters. I stop the car, and Big Dog and I get out while Morelli waits for us. I stand in front of him, and Big Dog stands behind as we push our way through the crowd.

Angie Morelli reached out touch her baby as Grandma Bella pointed to her eye and spat on the ground. I wonder if she's giving me the Vordo, I'm sure Babe would appreciate that. We brush past them and continue towards the courthouse. To the left of me, I see a hand reach out from between two women and a glint of steel just as Big Dog barks out, "Gun". He pushes Morelli faster towards the door as I grab the gun, twisting the arm holding it, and tackling the assailant to the ground. Helen Plum screams, "Noooooo," as she writhes beneath me.

o0()0o

Helen Plum sat in the interview room with her wrists cuffed and her legs shackled to the table in front of her. She had fought hard, but there was never any doubt that I would prevail. I watched through the one way glass as Big Dog read her rights. After he finished, he began his questioning. "I don't understand it, Helen. Why did you try to kill Joe?"

Helen glared at him. "He ruined EVERYTHING! He was my last chance at turning Stephanie into a proper Burg housewife, and he THREW IT AWAY!"

Big Dog stared at her, his shock evident on his face. "You tried to kill Joe because he was going to jail?"

"I'm never going to get any grandbabies from her now. I'll be the laughingstock of the neighborhood. I would have killed that 'Ranger' thug a long time ago if I could have gotten near him. He has NO RIGHT to fill my daughter's head with that bounty hunter nonsense. Joe would have worn her down eventually. WHY ME? WHY CAN'T I HAVE A NORMAL DAUGHTER?"

Big Dog shook his head. "Is this the first time you tried to kill him?"

She shook her head no. "The first time was at his arraignment. That nice boy with all the tattoos promised to take care of my problem for a carton of cigarettes and some pot roast. The poor boy tried, so I gave his girlfriend the pot roast anyway. After that, I knew I had to do it myself if it was going to be done right." Big Dog put his hand over his eyes and rubbed his temples. The questioning didn't get any better, but I'm pretty sure she won't get away with an insanity plea.

Once the interrogation was over, Big Dog walked out the door shaking his head. I stopped him with a hand on his arm. "You did good today. I have a feeling that you'll fit in just fine at Rangeman. I hope you'll be ready to start tomorrow."

He gave me a huge smile and shook my hand. " **Tomorrow is finally another day.** "

o0()0o

Dinner was subdued that night as Stephanie tried to come to grips with the fact that her mother had tried to kill her ex-boyfriend. She pushed her fork around her plate, not even eating the macaroni and cheese I had Ella make just for her. After I finished my meal, I cleaned up the plates and crouched down next to her. She avoided my eyes until I lifted her chin to face me. "Babe, this isn't your fault."

Her beautiful blue eyes filled with tears as they searched mine. "Isn't it? Deep down she must have thought I was going to choose him. She snapped when she realized that was never going to happen." A tear slipped out and rolled down her cheek.

I wiped her tear away. "Babe, before we found out that he was running guns, we all thought that you would marry him eventually."

She shook her head. "I could never have married him, even before we found out. He would always know that he was my second choice, and it wouldn't have been fair to him."

I tucked a curl behind her ear. "Babe?"

She leaned into my hand and closed her eyes. "I was going to tell you tonight, before this mess happened. I love you, Ranger, but more importantly, I'm in love with you." She opened her eyes and stared into mine. "I want my someday with you, nobody else. I'm done pretending that we don't have a relationship. I never wanted the kids and the dog and the white picket fence. I want you, and everything you're willing to give me."

I pulled her to me and kissed her. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she opened herself to me and shattered my defenses. I didn't realize I had been waiting to hear her say those words. For me, Someday was starting right now, and I was never going to let her go.

o0()0o

As we were drifting off to sleep, Stephanie snuggled in closer and said, "I'm going to have to face my family tomorrow."

I ran my hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. "We'll face them together tomorrow, babe. After all, **Tomorrow is another day**."

o0()0o

Many tomorrows later, we sat together in the courtroom and I held her hand as we watched the future unfold. She has finally moved into my apartment and my life. She was already in my heart. Once this is all over, we are going to take a long vacation to Miami, where I have a ring waiting in my safe for her. She really doesn't want the kids and the dog, but I want the world to know she's mine.

The bailiff handed the judge a note, which he opened and read. Looking up he said, "Will the defendant please rise? Joseph Morelli, you have been found guilty of arms trafficking and abuse of power. You are hereby sentenced to serve a term of no less than five, and no more than ten years in the New Jersey State Correctional Facility. Court is adjourned." The courtroom erupted in noise as Joe was led away in handcuffs. Angie Morelli fainted in the front row. We slipped out the door before anyone noticed us.

Tank was walking down the hallway towards us. "I was just about to come and get you," he said. "We got word that the jury is in." I squeezed Babe's hand and together we slipped into another courtroom. Helen sat next to Albert Kloughn, and they both looked ill. Tank led us to a row of seats surrounded by Rangeman black where we sat next to her Grandma Mazur. All of my men insisted on being here to support Stephanie. They love her almost as much as I do.

Once again the judge was handed a note. Once again, he asked the defendant to rise. "Helen Plum, you have been found guilty of attempted murder in the first degree. You are hereby sentenced to serve ten to fifteen years in the Edna Mahan Women's Correctional Facility. I am also putting in a recommendation that you be placed in the alcohol treatment unit. Court is adjourned."

With the bang of the gavel, Stephanie slumped. She was immediately surrounded by her Merry Men, who kept everyone else from getting close to her. Her grandma hugged her. "You just remember, baby girl, none of this is your fault. She'll be out before you know it, hounding you to give her grandkids." She kissed Stephanie on the forehead. "You go spread your wings and fly. Worry about the rest tomorrow. After all, **Tomorrow is another day**."

 ** _A/N. none of this would have been possible to complete with out our fabulous Sheila...and it completes the FanFiction Fanatics challenge as well, finding a co-author to write a story with._**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed it._**

 ** _All characters belong to that author Janet E...smh._**


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